The Parallel Constant
by Wolf of Winter
Summary: Case fic: A man disappeared in thin air, and Mulder and Scully investigate his disappearance. Mulder eventually finds the missing man, but at what cost? They can't go back, and Mulder finally realizes how much Scully means to him.
1. Chapter 1

**Prelude**

He never had been the type of man who recommended himself to women, although God knows he had had a few. No, his 'partners' always were strong women, who came onto him. He'd always thought that that kind of forthcoming women deserved the adjective strong, but he turned out to be wrong. One woman changed his mind for good, and he couldn't help but let her change his heart and his soul too, oblivious to her knowledge.

But that's how it has always been the last five years. He tried to show her his affection, but she would never take him seriously. Whether it was out of self-protection on her side or not, he let it be, for his sake as well as hers. Some tiny part of him was glad that she didn't take him seriously.

This woman was a new category of women, one he'd never encountered before. If he had known before that such a woman even existed, he would've searched as frantically for them, as he would've searched for aliens.

And now, such a woman is before him, but she's slipping away from him. He had never feared losing her before, as the X-Files consumed most of her time, leaving little space for socializing, but this was different. This was serious. This was a nightmare.

**Chapter 1**

_8.30am, 20 April, 1998  
>J. Edgar Hoover Building<br>Washington, D.C._

Mulder was waiting impatiently for Scully to walk into their basement office, as he just received a brand new X-file this morning. Not via the bureau, but in his daily newspaper. He had yet to figure out who sent it to him, but as usual, theories were present in abundance. He'd hurried to his office to cross-reference with other X-files before Scully would arrive. Lately, he had been noticing that it took a bit more of well-thought theories and some substantial proof to interest her in an X-file than it used to.

So there he was, at six o'clock, at his desk, finding some nice facts that he could relay to Scully. It was five past eight when he finally heard footsteps in the otherwise deserted basement. He almost jumped out of his chair to rush to the door, when Mulder suddenly heard another pair of footsteps and soft laughter. What was going on?

The door opened a bit, only a small gap with one hand still on the handle, revealing Scully and a man he'd never seen before. The unknown man was about his own height, but that's where most of the resemblance stopped. This man's build was much frailer than that from himself, much to Mulders liking. He could take on this guy if he wanted to.

They seemed to be exchanging goodbyes, so Mulder stood up and walked towards them. He had to know what this was about.

"'Morning Scully, how… Oh, hi there."  
>Mulder thought he could see a small blush spreading over Scully's face. Her companion seemed surprised.<p>

"Hi Mulder. I didn't expect you here yet… Uhm, this is Dave. Dave, this is Fox Mulder, my partner," she said while nervously switching looks between Mulder and Dave.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet Dana's partner," Dave said as they shook hands, "I work a few floors up and by coincidence ran into Dana."

Dana? He calls her Dana? "Ah, well, I commend you. Most people don't dare to enter the office of 'Spooky' Mulder." Scully shot him a look, that look that he loved so much. She had no idea that that look actually has the opposite effect than she hoped and aimed for. It was one of the little things he loved about her, though he never expressed it.

Anxious to end this conversation, Scully put an end to it. "Thank you for walking with me and catching up, Dave. It's been too long."

"It certainly has been too long. Maybe we could grab a bite some time. I've got lots more to tell you. It's been so long!"

"Sure. I'll see you around. Bye, Dave."

"Bye, Dana," Dave said and squeezed her hand lightly. He gave a short nod to Mulder and turned around towards the elevator.

Scully cast her eyes down while stepping into the office, while that small blush that was already present crept up her face a bit more. Why did Mulder have such an effect on her? Why was she blushing? It was ridiculous, she was doing nothing wrong. Then why did she feel like she was? As if she was making a capital mistake?

Trying to avoid his gaze as long as possible, she began to skim through one of the X-files cabinets. If she'd had her own bureau, it would've been much easier, and much more unnoticeable for Mulder to see she was struggling about something, no matter how foolish it was.

"Hey Dana, something peaked your interest?" Mulder asked with that dubious tone he sported sometimes.

"You know what Mulder," Scully swiftly turned towards him and took a few steps towards him, "it's none of your business. Despite what you think, I do have a life outside of the X-files, and I can talk to anyone I like without being judged by you."

"Whoa, Scully! I was talking about the X-files that you were rummaging through so vividly. But, now that you mention it, who's he? New love interest?" He waggled his eyebrows with that big fat grin of his, which combination never failed to soften her mood towards him, though this time only a little bit.

"Ugh, Mulder, sometimes you're impossible, you know that?"

"That's why you love me." Again, that big playful grin of his made an appearance. He really was impossible sometimes. "Anyway, we've got more important things to do than discussing your potential boyfriends; I've received some interesting information this morning. You ready for this?"

Deciding to let that remark pass for the moment, Scully replied: "Sure, what do you've got?"

"A missing person case," he handed the file to her, "A 45 year old man, Donald Green, hasn't been seen in 14 days by either friends or family. There are no indications that he would just run of, or even commit suicide. His family says he's always been a dependable man, seemingly ok with his situation in life. He has worked for a local university for 10 years now, until one day, he just disappeared."

"Where's the X in this case, Mulder? I thought you said this was an X-file? This is just a missing-persons case. What has peaked your interest in this?"

Mulder cleared his throat before continuing. "Like I said, one day he just vanished into thin air. Not in the proverbial way, but for real. We've got eye-witnesses. I've already booked us a flight to Grand Junction, Colorado, today at 5pm."

Typical Mulder. "And in the meantime?"

"Nothing, for a change. Perfect time to go back to Dave, or your knitting."

"All right. Then I'll see you this evening," Scully said and packed up her things. Payback time. "Oh and Mulder? Dave isn't 'new', we go way back."

Scully could just see his jaw falling down a bit, before he recovered himself. He really didn't see it, understand it, did he? No wonder that the man hasn't ever been able to sustain a long relationship. He's so obsessed with his search for everything out of this world, that he forgets to come down to earth every once in a while, to feel and see the present and all around him.

"Morning, Mulder."

Scully walked out of the office, leaving behind a confused and somewhat shattered Mulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Unknown Time  
>Unknown Place<em>

So different, and yet, so much the same. The notion that one small change can change the course of history, or even humanity, is beyond my comprehension. One small change can change your whole life, and that frightens me. Even a different choice of someone you don't even know can change your life. Just imagine for a second what would happen if some crazy old bastard did decide to go to the same bank, at the same time that you're there, and start shooting everybody and himself, instead of just shooting himself, in the loneliness of his apartment?

Life is full of variables, and the most of them you can't control. Most people say that you control your own life, but after all I've seen I have to disagree. Not only you, but also every human on this planet and the forces of nature control your life. I came to realize that everyone on their own is just a small and pivotal part of something enormous, that even in this time and age, we can't comprehend.

Therefore, I'm wary of being here. I fear that my presence will affect something I'll not foresee until it's too late. Everything here already appears so different, that it is hard to believe that this place has some connection or influence with the other, but I'm not willing to take the risk.

I'll stay here for the time being, only as an observer. I hope that I can keep a low profile in this way, but this is too good an opportunity to let it pass by me only because of my fears. And besides, I have no idea if I can re-enter this place when I've returned.

_10.05pm, 20 April, 1998  
>Waker Field Airport<br>Grand Junction, Colorado_

_ Max and I go way back. _That little sentence troubled him the whole trip to Colorado. He didn't like it one bit. He had experienced such situations before, but those were with new, unknown men. Mulder could handle that, but this was worse, some love interest actually from her past, some she knew. This was almost as bad as the one time that Scully sort of transformed to a reckless person, which she absolutely normally didn't was, and got that horrible snake tattoo on her back.

All of this went through his mind, but the only thing he could consciously grasp of this was the nasty feeling that was spawned. He couldn't really put his finger on the spot why he was bothered by this so much. He would know, however, sooner than he maybe has thought.

When their plane landed, they went in search for a motel as soon as possible. The flight wasn't as 'pleasant' as usual. A lot of turbulence disturbed them on the way and gave them no rest. They rented two single rooms at the first motel that crossed their path. The motel wasn't much, but by now, they didn't care anymore. They've grown so accustomed to small, and sometimes unclean, rooms that they didn't even notice it anymore.

Mulder and Scully left the motel early the next morning to interview the witnesses. Luckily for them, they both lived in the same house. The witnesses were the wife and daughter of Donald Green. Mary Green, the wife, opened the door when the agents arrived and guided them to the living room, where the daughter, Angie, was already present.

"Thank you so much for coming here all the way from Washington and help my find my poor husband! Oh, I haven't slept since he disappeared. I have no clue what I would do without him! My poor husband," Mary moaned in distress, "but where are my manners? You came all this way, and the least I could do is offer you some coffee. Do you two want some?"

"Yes thank you," said Scully as she accompanied her to the kitchen. Mulder saw the look she gave him and nodded. The witnesses must be interview separately, so while Scully was interviewing, he turned his attention to the teenage girl who was sitting across from him on the other couch.

She had beautiful long blonde hair, and looked like a typical popular cheerleader. Lots of make-up, more than appropriate for her age, an independent and defiant look in her eyes, and a slim body. She was staring disinterested through the window, as if Mulder wasn't even present in the same room. He pondered if this behaviour was because of the shock of the disappearance of her father, or that this was her normal conduct. The next few minutes, however, took all the doubts away he had.

"Hi Angie, how are you holding up? I guess it must be quite shocking with what you've been through the last two weeks and actually seeing your father disappear."

Not bothering to move her gaze away from the window to Mulder, she responded: "I guess…"

"I hope it's not too troubling for you to talk about it, but I wanted to hear your story of when he disappeared. What happened that day, Angie?"

"I don't know… My parents thought it was a great idea to spend the afternoon at the mountain, and drag me along. So there we were, on the mountain on a _wonderful_ afternoon, and my father was scavenging close to where my mom and I sat. He called to us and as we looked up, he disappeared. That's all I know. Why don't you ask my mom? She can tell you a lot more than I can. I didn't even _want_ to be there! I was supposed to go visit some friends of mine. This wouldn't even have happened if he wasn't so bend on his _adventures_ and_ sightseeing tours._ Argh."

So much for worrying about the welfare of your own father, Mulder thought.

"He just vanished into thin air? Just like that?"

"Yes, that's what I just told you didn't I? He was gone, suddenly. That's all I can tell you. Can I go now? My friends are waiting for me, and I'm already late." Angie asked, annoyed of all the questions by now.

Mulder told her she could go as he realized that he couldn't get any more information out of her. He sincerely hoped that Scully was having more success in the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, in the car, Scully told Mulder what she had heard in the kitchen. It was basically the same story that Angie had told Mulder, but Scully already had her own, more down to earth theory stand-by.

"Mulder, it's so obvious! He didn't disappear into thin air, and it's certainly not a big _misunderstanding_."

"What is it then? They're both crazy? Psychotic? I doubt it." Mulder returned.

"No Mulder, they're FAKING it. They probably want the insurance company to pay up, supposedly that he's missing and dead! You have seen the way his wife acted. Didn't you notice all the theatrical drama, way out of proportion and reality?" Scully fumed.

"Is that your only argument? That's not very conclusive, _empirical_ evidence is it?"  
>"Yesterday, when we were still in Washington, I did some more background checks upon Donald Green, and not a month ago, he increased his death insurance! It's all there, Mulder; you just have to see it. Not every case we get really is an X-file."<p>

"Oh come on Scully," Mulder said with a grin, "while we're out here, we might as well go to the mountain and see what's up there. Don't you like a nice peaceful walk over a little pretty mountain, huh? Maybe I'll even throw in a picnic, and maybe you could forget all about _Dave._"

Scully turned her head away from him so he couldn't see the tiny smile that appeared on her face.

They drove to the mountain, and as they arrived, Scully had to concede that it indeed was a very pretty mountain. The view was simply stunning. When she was young, her family often went on outdoor trips to such places. She'd loved it, scavenging around with her elder brothers, searching for adventure and exciting places. Her sister Melissa also wandered off, but not with Scully and her brothers. She searched for the beautiful serene places where she could sit the whole day, just enjoying the view, nature and silence around her.

She would've loved this place, Scully thought. She was so absorbed in the memories of her now dead sister, that she didn't even hear Mulder approaching.

"I told you it was pretty," he said and put his hand on the small of her back. He led her to the place where Donald Green supposedly had disappeared, and they started their investigation for any clue that could confirm the story of the wife and daughter. As Scully had expected, they couldn't find anything, either to confirm or compromise the story. Not even black scorch marks.

The next thing they did was re-enact the scene. Scully took position at the spot where Angie and Mary sat, and Mulder took Donald's spot. From Scully's point of view, everything was clear. Mulder was clearly visible, there were no trees nearby or descending planes behind Mulder, where he could easily hide behind or walk off.

"There's nothing here, Mulder. Let's go back to the Green's residence and talk to them again. Maybe, if we face them with the facts, they'll admit it's just a big scam."

A large bird screeched in the sky above Scully, an eagle she saw, but when she looked back to Mulder, he was gone.

"Mulder?" she inquired but didn't receive any reaction, "Mulder, this isn't funny. Where are you?"

Scully walked over to where he just stood, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Only she was there, Mulder had vanished. She didn't want to admit it, but this was no game of Mulder. He vanished, into thin air.

"Mulder!"

"Maybe if we face them with the facts, they'll admit it's just a big scam," Mulder heard Scully say before he felt someone, some_thing_, pulling at him. He fought against it, but it was no use. He was sucked in by some sort of force into a space unknown. He couldn't see anything but he felt he was moving, and it was making him nauseous.

The next thing he knew, he was smacked down to the ground. He held his eyes closed for a moment and didn't move. He waited until the nausea would go away.

Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around. He was still on the mountain, but Scully was nowhere to be found. He slowly got up and walked towards the car, while calling out for Scully. To his surprise, the car was gone. Did Scully just leave him behind? What happened to him?

He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled in Scully number.

"I'm sorry, this number does not exist. Check if you dialled the correct number and please try again," he heard the computer voice say.

This was really starting to get under his skin. Scully's phone number doesn't exist? How did that happen, and when? Mulder had no idea how long he had lain there on the ground, but it couldn't be more than ten minutes. He'd better call the Green residence, maybe Scully went by them, and he did need some form of transportation. The nearest house was more than 15 miles away.

"Good morning, Mary Green speaking."

"Hi Mrs. Green, it's Fox Mulder, from the FBI. Say, did my partner Dana Scully came by your house just now?"

"Who do you say? A Dana Scully you say? No, I've never had a visit from a FBI-agent in my whole life!"

"Mrs. Green, this is no time for jokes! My partner and I were just in your house this morning! Come on, this is an emergency, did she come by or not?"

"YOU WERE IN MY HOUSE THIS MORNING? WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE? YOU BROKE IN? You freak! Don't let me ever see you near my house again, or I'll call the cops and my husband on you!" Mary yelled and hung up.

Fox Mulder really lost it then. What in the world was happening? Hell, was this even the right world? Did that force change the world around him, or did it change him, or moved him? No matter what happened, he had to get out of here and to the local police station. This wasn't looking good. So Mulder started jogging towards the nearest house, and thanked himself for keeping his daily jogging routine.

Luckily the person of the nearest house was home, and was so kind as to drive him to the local police station. Once there, Mulder thanked the man, and went in search of the sheriff. He wasn't so hard to find, it appeared, as this police district was a small one, and therefore had a small, very small, station. Sheriff Rodney greeted Mulder kindly as Mulder flashed his badge, but soon regretted that, and wondered if he wasn't a crazy fool.

Mulder explained to him what happened, of course not the _incident_ on the mountain. He told him about Scully, the car, and the reason why they were here: the disappearance of Donald Green. Things went downhill from that point.

"Donald Green missing?" the sheriff asked incredulously, "since when? I haven't heard a thing about that, so I find it highly unlikely that you do. You sure you've got the right man? Wait a minute; I'll give them a call."

Mulder was so flabbergasted that he didn't know what to say; only that calling them wasn't necessary. As he saw that the sheriff was getting suspicious, he figured that the smartest thing he could do right now was to give his excuses to the man and say that he indeed have the wrong man and get the hell out of there.

Once clear of the police station an idea crossed his mind. He dialled the car rental and asked if the car Scully and he had driven was still in their garage or not. At that moment, the answer didn't surprise him anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_11.00am, 21 April, 1998  
>Green residence<br>Grand Junction, Colorado_

Scully raced back to the Green residence, to speak to Mary again. Mary had to tell her _everything_ she knew, no matter if she had to repeat forty times what happened that afternoon when her husband disappeared, but that was Scully's only angle at that moment. She had tried to stand where Mulder stood, to see if anything would happen, but surprise surprise, nothing happened. This wasn't really a situation where she could call in the help of other FBI agents. They would laugh at her square in the face if she so much as suggests that Mulder disappeared into thin air. No, she would receive no appropriate help from the FBI; she had to do this alone. Or maybe the Lone Gunmen could help.

Mary Green responded even more hysterical when she heard that Mulder had also vanished. If even an _FBI-agent_ vanished, she reasoned, then how could her poor, poor husband ever be returned to her? Now she was sobbing like the world was at an end, which resulted in an even more incoherent account of Donald's disappearance than earlier and an even more irritated Scully. Scully also tried to get anything more out of Angie, but she seemed even more out of humour now that a FBI-agent also was in trouble, which no doubt would spawn even more agents and time consuming _nonsense _'_talks_'.

Scully was clueless. There wasn't a single hint she could go on. She had reviewed other X-files that were similar to this case while they were still in Washington, but even there she had read nothing substantial. The only two things she could do were contacting the Lone Gunmen and return to the mountain and search and search again for something, _anything_.

The call to the Lone Gunmen was fruitless, but they did promise that they would take the first flight out to Grand Junction and help her there. Scully tried not to sound _too_ desperate, but the guys could easily hear it shimmer through. She was in a lot of trouble, and she needed all the help that she could get.

Mulder took the first flight back to Washington. If his theory was correct, he needed all the information of the FBI database he could get his hands on. If his theory was correct, that would indicate that Scully… No, he didn't want to think about that, not just yet. If it was so, he would deal with it when he knew for certain, but all he had to do right now, was to keep moving.

_10am, unknown date  
>J. Edgar Hoover Building<br>Washington, D.C._

So far, so good. Mulder hadn't encountered any problems until now. He entered the elevator to the basement, and when he was about to enter his office, something stopped him. He heard a very familiar sound, a rhythmic bounce against the wall. The same sort of bounce that he almost daily produced when he was bored and bounced a basketball around. He silently cursed, and returned to the elevator without making a sound. He rode the elevator up to the first floor, found a phone and called his own office. The phone rang only twice before Mulders worst case scenario was confirmed.

"Mulder, X-files department."

The real Mulder, or should I say the outlandish Mulder, quickly hung up the phone and was surprised when someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and found himself facing Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

"Agent Mulder, there you are! Come on, we're already late for the meeting," Skinner said, and dragged Mulder along to the AD's floor. Mulder had no choice but to play along. He thought they would be heading to Skinner's office, but as he was just to turn that way, Skinner directed him elsewhere. They were heading for Kirsch's office. This was going to take all the bluffing he could muster up. It was no small feat to face Kirsch unprepared.

Not to mention what would happen if the other Mulder would appear! Mulder hoped that this doppelgänger of him also acted much in the same way as he did. That would mean that Mulder had about ten minutes before he would appear. Mulder was grateful at the moment that he always was late for meetings.

Mulder managed to get in and out of there in eight minutes. He managed to get Kirsch mad as hell, but that would be perfect for his plan. He hid out of sight with a view on the elevators and waited for his doppelgänger to appear.

He didn't have much time, at most five minutes. When the coast was clear, he sneaked into his own office (what a weird situation) and pulled up some files on the computer. He tried to open Scully's FBI personnel file, but it didn't exist. She has never worked for the FBI before!

The universal database gave him more concrete information. In her file, he read that she never stopped med school, but she became a doctor, a psychiatrist, nonetheless! He didn't have much time to let it all sink in at that moment, however. He turned the computer off and got the hell out of there just in time.

Scully a psychiatrist, who would've thought?

_Unknown Time and date  
>Unknown Place<em>

Another shifter has arrived. The first one I've encountered. I've heard the gossip on the streets. A crazy FBI-agent had been in town, and seemed to have thought that I had disappeared somehow, although now they doubted if he really was an FBI-agent.

I know better, though. The only one who could've thought that I had gone missing, vanished into thin air, nonetheless, was someone from my own world. He probably investigated the place where I disappeared and got forced into this world as well.

I have to warn him. Surely he doesn't know as much about this world as I do. He certainly doesn't know that one small change in this world could affect our own world as well. Luckily, I've overheard his name. Fox Mulder… The sheriff had said that he had returned to Washington, and so, that's where I'll also be heading, as much as it saddens me to leave my wife alone.

True, she doesn't even know I'm here, and my so-called twin is with her at all times. But still… The lost she's had makes me feel that she needs an extra good, feeling heart in her neighbourhood.

Mulder sat on a bench, in a park which he didn't even know the name of, wondering about his options. Before he scurried of away from the FBI's basement he managed to scribble down Scully's address and the place where she worked, but he doubted if it was such a wise idea to go to her.

She has never worked for the FBI before, so chances are that she didn't even knew him. How would she react when he showed up at her door and told her what had happened? Probably she would call her ward and have him locked up in a straight jacket before he could say "X-Files", now that she's a psychiatrist.

Contacting the Lone Gunmen was also not one of the best ideas, even if they knew him. They would contact their Mulder most likely and that wasn't the wisest idea right now, especially since he got the rage of Kirsch all over him. No, the best thing he could do right now was to shadow Scully, see if she was the same, if she was to be trusted. The next few days would decide his course. If Scully turned out to be nothing, he had to do everything in his power to find Donald Green, or maybe he would be here for quite a while.

Before he knew it, it was already afternoon on the next day. He had successfully found Scully and followed her ever since. Well, followed… He had spent most of the day sitting on a bench near the hospital's psychiatric ward. Her shift had started at 7am, and she was still there. He had seen her a few times outside, while she was having a little break with her colleagues. They smoked, she didn't. That's my girl, Mulder thought. That's all he saw of her. Entering the psychiatric ward wasn't an option, which was way too suspicious, far more suspicious than walking around at an ER. If she would've only worked at an ER, that would've been so much easier! Nobody would've noticed him, in all the chaos that normally envelops that part of a hospital, but a psych ward… Every move, every sound, every unknown face is suspicious in their eyes.

At 7 pm, she left the hospital in her car and drove back home. Mulder still had fifty bucks in his wallet, so he could ride the bus instead of walking all the way to her house. Once arrived, Mulder saw something he hadn't seen the night before. There was a second car parked in the driveway. The curtains on the roadside were closed, so he couldn't see anything, or anyone.

Once the coast was clear, he sneaked up the front yard and slipped into the back yard without being noticed. The garden was big, had a pool, and plenty of room and shadows to hide. Mulder thought this was definitely an upgrade than the house she lived in normally, but he wouldn't have suspected otherwise. It's no secret that the salary of a g-woman can't compare to a psychiatrist salary.

It was a hot summer night, so the back door was wide open. Mulder moved even more cat-like with this new piece of information, but a few steps forward he froze and hid behind a bush. He heard them before he saw them. Scully sat outside on the patio, with someone he couldn't clearly see. It was a man, for sure, hearing the sound of his voice.

"So, how was your day today, honey? Nobody tried to kill him- or herself today I hope?" Mulder heard the man say.

"Haha, no. Thank god, no. Two in the last three days is more than enough, thank you very much. Today was a relative quiet day, for a change, but it was so hot today! Everybody was complaining about it. They really need to fix the AC sooner than later or I'm going to melt in my office tomorrow."

"Even without a broken AC, you're so hot that I wonder how it's possible that you still haven't transformed into a puddle of liquid."

Scully laughed. "Dave, you tease!"

They both let out a long snicker, and Mulder saw that he grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on it, before he got up from his seat and bended over to plant a small kiss on her lips. Scully giggled, and he thought he was going to be sick. He left the garden as fast as he could without making a sound, and ran for what seemed to be hours and hours.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It took a long time before he calmed down enough to sit down and reflect on what had happened and what he had seen. Everything fell in its place, how couldn't he have seen it? Too busy chasing shadows of aliens, he guessed.

This whole time, it was right there under his nose, and he couldn't see it clearly until now. The realization what his life would be if Scully didn't show up in his office that morning five years ago. Right as of that moment she had put that little extra in his life. Right from the start she wasn't afraid to let her own opinion show and that was one of those little thing he admired in her so very much.

He was even pleasantly surprised that morning that she wasn't 'afraid' of him. She even dared to let her own views known. The rest of the bureau avoided him. His nickname 'Spooky' wasn't there for no reason. He was crazy, saw aliens in every corner of the room and in every shadow, and had no social life. Scully didn't mind that. She was there to solve the cases because she had been placed at the X-Files and always wanted to do her best, no matter what the case was about, but slowly it became something more for her. Mulder's quest also became _her_ quest gradually, and little by little, event by event, a connection began to grow between the two of them. It was a bond of trust, blind trust and commitment.

But apparently, another bond had formed between the two of them, at least from his side, he didn't know that existed before. Now he realized that he _needed _her, not only for the X-files, but personally too. Now he really felt what it was to lose her, even more, to never know her at all. True, she was 'gone' too when Duane Barry took her away from him, and exchanged her for himself to a screw-up experiment that had left Scully barren. And then there was also the time of her cancer, but at both times he always had thought that he could save her, and that she would come back. He never doubted it, but now, right now, he could sense what it felt like when she wasn't in his life, and he never in her life. He now knew what it was like if the place in Scully's life, which he wanted to adorn, was taken by another man than himself.

His musings came to a halt when someone sat down next to him on the bench. Mulder thought annoyed why he didn't sat down on another bench, as there were enough empty ones around. He looked up and saw the person who all spawned this, the one he never had thought that he could find here in D.C. It was Donald Green.

"You must be wondering how I found you, agent Mulder," Donald said, with a sympathetic smile on his face.

"I must confess that I'm more curious how you even know I was here, in this world."

"Finding you was not too hard. Whole Grand Junction is gossiping about your appearance and apparent amnesiac appearance. I heard that you were looking for your partner Dana Scully and had gone back to Washington. So, I followed you and looked up your partner's address and arrived there an hour ago. I was waiting for you to show up, when I suddenly saw someone running from your partner's yard and figured that it was you," Donald explained. He continued on a lighter mark. "But I'm impressed. So you've realized that this is another world and not some weird dream or a schizophrenic/psychotic state?"

Mulder looked a little annoyed at that remark. "I'm not your average FBI-agent, Mr. Green. These sort of things are my field of work, the paranormal, and the unexplained. Do you have a more accurate description of this place? You've been here far longer than I have been."

On that remark, Donald Green began to explain his theory about parallel worlds, the influences they probably have on each other and his fear of disturbing this world because of that. Mulder was astonished by his theory, but also smiled a bit from the inside. The Lone Gunmen and he luckily weren't not the only ones with theories that are way, way out there.

_9.30pm, 21 April, 1998  
>Mount Garfield<br>Grand Junction, Colorado_

The Lone Gunmen arrived late that evening at Mount Garfield and found an unsettled and anxious Scully. The Lone Gunmen had no idea how they could help and what they could do, but when they saw Scully they agreed that they made the right decision to come. Scully needed all the support and help she could get, and they themselves were also astonished about what had happened to Mulder.

They did brought along some equipment that could be helpful, but in this case, _anything_ was helpful as they had no idea where to start. They brought an infra-red camera and such equipment, but all was useless. Nothing came up. Mulder and Donald Green had literally disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Frohike tried to cheer Scully up, but soon realized that he probably shouldn't do that if he didn't want to face the Wrath of Dana Scully and his possible demise. Scully's present theory was that only men were affected most likely, but there was no way to test that. If she would ask one of the Lone Gunmen to stand on the notorious spot, they would do it without an argument, but the situation wouldn't be helped if another one disappeared.

So there she was, late in the evening, on some non-famous mountain with her hands in her hair, wondering why things have gotten so out of control. She could almost cry in despair.

_9.15pm, unknown date  
>Unknown Place<em>

"May I ask why you suddenly ran away from your partner's yard?"

"Uhm… Nothing really. I thought I was spotted by them, uh I mean her, and so I got the hell out of there." Mulder responded, not daring to look him in the eyes. It was still to fresh, way too fresh.

"You saw something that hurt you deep inside, didn't you? It's alright, I saw something too at my own house, I've been through the same thing," Donald Green said. He sighed and shook his head.

"You did?"

"Yes. I found out that, in this world, my daughter…" he stopped for a moment, finding it hard to speak about it, as he didn't have the chance to vent his feelings yet, "she died the day she turned fifteen. Apparently, she wasn't allowed to have a party at home, so she went away that evening, mad as hell, and went to another party. Around 10pm, he, or rather I, got a phone call from the police. She was brought to the hospital due to an alcohol overdose and the doctors were working their asses off to save her. He went with his wife, my wife, to the ER and they saw the doctors pumping her stomach, but it was too late. Her body couldn't handle it and had to give up. She never had alcohol before, so that was a factor, her body wasn't accustomed to it, but those IDIOTS at that party, her SO-CALLED _friends_ called the paramedics _far_ too late."

Mulder didn't know what to say. That was a horrible thing to find out, even if it was in a parallel world. He patted Donald on his shoulder and gave him a minute to himself. Then, Mulder said: "What I say is not of the same calibre as what you saw. I saw Scully, happy, successful as a psychiatrist, and apparently she has no worries."

"Then what's the problem?"

"She has never met me. She isn't part of the life of this doppelgänger of mine. In our world she quit her medical studies and joined the FBI and came to work at my department, and became my friend, my confidante, my partner. While here… She's not. An hour ago I saw her sitting in the yard with apparently her boyfriend or husband. That's when I realized she means far more to me, and on other levels too, than I ever knew. I don't think I can handle it if I lose her. I _need _her."

"Well, I guess then, in the end, it's a good thing that we've ended up here," Donald said, suddenly brightening up. Mulder looked at him quizzically, so he continued: "Yes! Don't you see? Now we've seen what _could _happen, we can go back and do better! My relationship with my daughter has always been bad, I know that, but I didn't know what could happen if things continued this way. If I work on our relationship, maybe I'll never get such a destructive phone call. And the same thing applies to you!"

"Me? But I already know Scully in the real world, our world."

"Yes! Yes, but you can try and do anything to keep her IN your life. Tell her how you feel. See what's in front of you, and grasp it!"

"That's all assuming we can get back," Mulder replied on a melancholy note.

Indeed, there was the problem. How could they return to their own world? Mulder had no clue what so ever, but neither did Donald Green. Donald confessed that he hadn't given it much thought, as he had been far too curious to examine this world and hadn't thought about going back yet. As an academic, he was far too engrossed in the unexplained and unpaved territory to even think about the most crucial part of this whole situation. How were investigations any good if you couldn't go back?

One thing, however, was bothering Mulder. Scully looked much more happy and carefree than he had seen her ever before. Wasn't this Scully better off than his own? This Scully hadn't been nearly killed multiple times, nor hadn't been abducted, hadn't lost her sister (most likely, as he didn't know for sure about that thing), and hadn't had cancer. This Scully was living a seemingly happy live with a good job, nice home, and she wasn't alone. She had a partner, and Mulder didn't fool himself. He clearly saw that the man at her house was Dave, the same Dave that he had met at the bureau not a week ago.

Who was he to invade her life even more than he already did, and block her way to lead a happy life with Dave, a life with far less trouble and complications than with a life at his side, Mulder asked himself.

Mulder wasn't ready to try and leave this world. What would be the good of all of this, if he didn't came back with a clear vision? If anything, this all made him even more confused. He said so to Donald Green, and he replied in astonishment and something that very much seemed like fear. He warned Mulder for the possible consequences of his planned intrusion, and that he already had intruded far enough, with the whole Kirsch-meeting fiasco. Mulder was unmoved, however. He couldn't go back without certainty.

Morning had come sooner than expected, and Mulder waited for Scully out of sight of her house. If he was lucky, she went out for a run nearly every morning to keep her in shape, just like his own Scully. He was in luck, just after dawn Scully appeared in her sweatpants and shirt and jogged the other way. Mulder followed in suit a few minutes after, and jogged with an acceptable and non-suspicious distance behind her.

After half an hour, they reached a pretty sort of park and Scully stopped to take a break. The whole park was abandoned, and Mulder couldn't understand why there weren't any photographers present to immortalize this astonishing petite park. It was no wonder why Scully took her break here. Being indoors the whole day can break someone of a certain type, and Scully was such a type. She probably needed this time and place alone (nearly) every morning to revitalize herself, her body as well as her mind.

Mulder entered the park and acted like he took a break from his jog too (of course he had waited several minutes – he didn't want her to become suspicious). He looked around as if he hadn't seen all of this before and let out an astonished gasp.

"Wow. This is _amazing," _Mulder said.

Scully turned around to the sound of his voice with such an abrupt movement that Mulder got the impression that she hadn't noticed his entering the park before. Of course, Mulder told himself, this Scully hadn't had any FBI-training, and is not as sharp as what he was used to.

She smiled to him and said: "It is, isn't it?"

"Yes! It's so serene. It reminds me of another place I visited not two weeks ago."

"I've seen a lot of places over the years, but this one is by far my favourite," she said and paused for a moment, tilting her head a little bit and looking at him quizzically. "I'm sorry, but are you from around here? I think I recognize you, but I have no idea from where."

Mulder's heart pulsed in his throat. So maybe there was some truth in what Donald had said. Maybe there is a deep connection between this world and their own one. Where else would she have recognized him from?

"I, uhm, no. I'm not from around here. I travel a lot and I'm here for a few weeks before I have to move on again."

"That mustn't be very agreeable in the long run… No chance to ever settle down," Scully replied pensively.

"Yes, that's true, but that's a choice I've knowingly accepted," Mulder said, and thought that that wasn't even very far from the truth. Even though he had an apartment and a steady workplace in Washington and the occasional outer state trips, he still hadn't the option to 'settle down'. The search for his sister Samantha, including the aliens who took her, directed and enveloped his whole life, so that he might as well be a constant traveller. "You are from here, I presume. Have _you_ settled down?"

"I've a steady job, a house near here, and I'm engaged. So, yes, I guess you could say I've settled down. I'm happy, and it feels good to finally settle down, it's not like I'm still twenty." She let out a small laugh before a weird feeling crept up her spine. Did she just talk to a complete stranger about her personal life and feelings? But most importantly, why did he make her feel like he knew everything that went around in her head, but that she wasn't spooked about it and not afraid to tell him about it?

Normally the roles were reversed. As a psychiatrist she had to make people feel safe enough around her to tell her what was bothering them and lay bare their soul, basically. She had to poke into every corner of their mind to discover what was 'wrong' with them. In the world of psychiatry, misdiagnoses were not uncommon. It's so hard to make the right diagnosis and give the proper care as there's so much overlap between all the diagnoses there are in the world, and more are discovered each passing day, as we keep understand more of the human brain and our thoughts patterns.

She could read people just as easy and naturally as walking, which was one of the things that made her the great psychiatrist she was, but this guy… This guy seemed to be immune for her scrutinizing glare, and yet, at the same time, it was like he already had given his soul bare to her _years_ ago. What was it with this guy that made her feel so vulnerable, and yet so alive?

"Then I guess congratulations are in order! I hope your future husband will treat you well. I hope he realizes that he has a gem on his hands. Good morning Miss., and maybe I'll see you around sometime," Mulder said and jogged of again. He was already gone before Scully could utter a single word.

Mulder sincerely hoped he handled the situation right. Letting it shimmer through that he knew more about her than she about him always was a trigger for some kind of reaction, especially for a psychiatrist. Mulder hoped he got under her skin and would go to the park again tomorrow morning to see if he was there again.

He told Donald all that had happened, but he still wasn't happy with Mulder's decision to stay here in Washington D.C. any longer than they should and interfere with even more people's lives here. As Donald reminded Mulder yet once again, one single event here in this world could well have major consequences, not only in this world, but also in their own world.

The next morning Mulder didn't even bother to wait on Scully near her house until she showed up. If he had played his cards right, she would appear any minute now. He had gone to the park straight away, not in sweatpants and shirt this time as if he was jogging, but in his normal clothes.

Scully showed up five minutes later and saw the stranger of the day before sitting on a bench with his back turned towards her. She was thinking about silently turn back where she came from and get along with her run, but something that he said yesterday gave her chicken bumps and kept stirring profusely in her head. He'd said something that, in essence, wasn't even that strange for someone to say, even for a stranger, but it was the intensity in his eyes and body language when he said that, that gave her the chills.

At last, blind curiosity won over common sense. She approached his bench, but didn't sit down next to him. She stood next to him, wanting to keep the advantage of height in her favour. He had his eyes closed and appeared not to have taken any notice of her, but she didn't know that he knew that she was there the moment she set one foot in the park. She stood there, studying his face, when he suddenly spoke.

"Hello Miss. Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Very, but I can imagine that one can't appreciate it fully with one's eyes closed."

Mulder laughed at that. "Hearing and feeling are senses that need to be fulfilled too."

"Touché, but there are other things right now that need to be 'fulfilled' too. Why did you say that I was a gem, and that you hoped that my future husband would treat me good? How would you even know if I'm a gem or not? You don't even know me."

"That's a good question, but I'm afraid I can't answer that right now, I'm afraid."

"Why not?" Scully asked, trying her best to keep any sign of annoyance out of her voice.

"Because it would blow your mind, and nine to ten that you wouldn't even believe it if I told you. Trust me. You would probably even lock me up in a psych house to boot!"

"You won't know until you try me!"

Mulder sighed and searched his pockets, got out his FBI badge and showed it to her. "Let's start with an easy one, shall we? Do you believe that I'm an FBI agent?"

Scully looked at his badge, and almost let out a snort. _Fox _Mulder? Poor kid, he must have had a wonderful childhood. "The badge seems real enough, and I guess that anyone in his right mind who would fake an ID wouldn't use a name like _that_."

"Hmpf… Ok, so far so good. Let's do a little background check. Your full name is Dana Katharine Scully, born 23th of February, in 1964. You have two brothers and one sister. Your eldest brother is Bill jr., your youngest brother is Charles and your sister's name is Melissa. Your father was a navy man until he died of a heart attack. Beyond the sea was played on his funeral. You started medical studies and at the end you were approach by the FBI and were asked if you would like to join the bureau. You refused, correct?"

"Yes, but these are all facts well known, and things you could read in a file! All this proves that you apparently have an obsession for my files," Scully responded, a bit shakily and suspiciously.

"Granted, but what if I told you that I also knew that you love chocolate toffee ice-cream, that your sister is more or less into the paranormal while you are the guardian of straight up facts only, _empiric_ evidence? What if I told you that I know that when you were about seven years old, that you and your family went out to the woods one day and you and your brothers had bucks and were shooting a little snake. At one moment the snake began to bleed and you stopped shooting while your brothers continued. You couldn't take it anymore to see that snake suffering so you shooed your brothers away and held that snake in your hands until it died. You cried the whole time, and you were heartbroken. As of that moment, you never hurt an animal again."

"Have you been talking to my mother? Have you been bothering her?" Scully almost yelled in unbelief and frustration.

Mulder grinned. "No, I haven't been bothering her, but I can tell you that she's so nice and caring, you're very lucky with such a mother."

Scully didn't know how to respond to that. In fact, she didn't know anything at the moment. Her mother surely would've called her if he'd called or came by her place, so that couldn't be it. She had no idea how he knew about the snake-story.

"Say that I believe you… How the hell do you know the snake-story?"

"Your mother told me."

"You just said that you didn't talk to her!"

"I didn't, but your mother, in my world, told me during the time that you were abducted by aliens."

"Another world? Abducted? _Aliens? _ Yes, I probably should lock you up in a psych house!" Scully gnarled, and with that, jogged away.

Maybe he shouldn't have said aliens. Most people have a sneering reaction whenever you even use the word, but it just slipped past him. Further in the conversation he had trouble forgetting that this was a non-alien proof Scully. It was so hard to act differently around her when you're used to converse with someone the same way for five years now. He felt a longing to discuss his theory about this parallel world thing. Now it was very clear to him. He had Scully-withdrawal signs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Scully was useless the rest of the day. Even in the busy environment of her work she was worked up by what this _Fox _Mulder had told her. She had meant what she said when she walked away; she should lock him up. He had been kind of believable until he brought up the aliens and 'other' worlds. As a true psychiatrist she had been trying all day to put a stamp on him, to put him in a box, but she found that it was harder than she thought, while he was clearly insane.

Schizophrenic? Granted, he probably had delusions and hallucinations, with the aliens and other world stuff, but it wasn't enough to be a full schizophrenic. Bipolar? No, very much no. Paranoid? Maybe. Psychotic? Definitely. Complete loss of contact with reality.

And so this went on all day long, which didn't do her patients any good. She was so preoccupied with all of this that her patients didn't receive one useful tip or any good guidance. He co-workers also noticed her absence of mind, but they figured it was probably that time of the month, or cold feet for the upcoming wedding. They let it go, but her fiancé did not.

When she got home, she was still in this state, and of course he noticed it. He asked what was wrong but she didn't want to talk about it, which made him a little squeamish. He pushed on, determined to find out what was wrong, but he received the same sneer as she gave Mulder that morning, which hadn't even a tiny effect on Mulder, but it did on Dave. The situation broke into a huge fight which lasted the whole evening.

Scully was still agitated the next morning, even during her run, which she needed desperately now to clear her head. Before she walked out of the door she promised to herself that she wouldn't enter the park this time, as she didn't feel like getting wound up two times in the same amount of days. She would take her break at another place and just jog past the park, but as she jogged along the entrance of the park, something took her notice.

An envelope lay on the bench just outside of the park. Curiosity overtook her and she approached the bench to see what was scribbled on the front of the envelope. To her surprise, it was her own name. She quickly looked up and down the street if someone was there, but the street was abandoned, just as usual. She rushed into to park, without thinking, to see if this Fox Mulder guy was there, but the park was empty. Confused, she walked back the bench with the envelope on it, and she picked it up, so unsure as if there could be Anthrax in it, although she knew that was nonsense. She knew exactly who the sender of that letter was. There was only one man who could get under her skin like that lately, and that man was Fox Mulder. Even Dave couldn't get under her skin like that.

As he wasn't in the park, as she had expected, she re-entered the park and sat down on her usual bench, still with the letter in her hands. All kinds of thoughts shot through her mind, as to make her doubt if she should open this letter or not, and if she should even open it at all. She was sick of his mind games, at least to her they were, and frankly she was afraid and unused to the fact that someone had such an effect on her that it controlled her whole day. Therefore she doubted if she would open it. She didn't really want that power of him over her to expand. She had felt her that she was in complete control over her own life during her whole lifetime, so that was why this was so frightening to her.

She left the park, and went back to her home, and went straight to work. She didn't open the letter, but kept it with her nonetheless. Her colleagues at work could still see that something was bothering Scully, but it didn't seem to interfere with her work any longer. She did go away one hour earlier than normal, but she wasn't home bound.

Later, in the park, she finally opened the letter, but as she read the beginning of it she already had to subdue the temptation of putting the letter away again – "Dear Scully,"-.

"I know I screwed up and that you don't believe a word I say, but I really need you to know what I have to tell you. If you don't want to believe this, that's ok. You can also read it as if it was fiction. Maybe publish it and make some money out of it, whatever makes you happy."

Scully read along and found out what happened to him the last few days, and what apparently happened to her the past five years. In another universe, that is. Apparently she had joined the FBI, got assigned to his department, was abducted by someone named Duane Barry and got barren because of this (which invoked a tremble along her spine), lost her sister, got a dog named Queequeq and lost him again to a crocodile attack while they were hunting on "Big Blue" the mythical creature, got a tattoo on her back on a fling one crazy night which she regretted very much and now lost her partner, Mulder, to this, to her, world. Among this he wrote little bits of information about her, which he couldn't have known if he didn't know her really, really well. He even seemed to know things that Dave didn't even know. It kept puzzling her a lot.

This Mulder figure wrote in this letter that he was on a missing person's case when he stepped through something and got stuck here. Not knowing how he could go back, he went to Washington D.C. and found her. Even if this whole charade was true, which Scully doubted very much, she couldn't figure out how _she_ could help him get back to his own world. Especially now she's a psychiatrist instead of a FBI special agent with hours and hours of experience in that department and field of work.

He ended his letter in a hopeful tone. "If you finally believe me, after reading all of this, you'll like to know that Donald and I will be flying back to Grand Junction this Friday evening at 6pm. I hope to see you once more there, but if not, I would just like to say that I'm happy I could find and meet you. I wish you a happy life and marriage, and if I can make a suggestion: You should really get a dog. And keep it far away from crocodiles of course. –Mulder."

* * *

><p><em>5.30pm, Friday 23 April, 1998<br>Dulles International Airport  
>Washington, D.C.<em>

"Did you really think that she would show up, Mulder? Frankly, I'm happy she didn't. We've been here already much too long, and the chances of us creating awful consequences gets greater each minute that passes," Donald Green mused.

Aggravated, Mulder shot back, "Yeah, and the chances of us creating beneficial consequences is getting greater too! And besides, how were you planning on getting back, huh? We _need _her."

Mulder had really thought that his letter would made things right, and that she would show up, but now he doubted if he wasn't overconfident in his skills. The gate would close within five minutes, and she still wasn't here. He was getting worried, very worried.

"You mean YOU need her! Wake up, Mulder! She isn't the same as in our world! She has no experience whatsoever in this field of work. She's a goddamn psychiatrist for God's sake. We can handle it on our own. We don't need a shrink to tell us how we feel!"

"Well, maybe you're right that I need her, but that's only to see her one more time. WE need her to successfully return to our own world, don't you see it? Don't you understand? We need her, trust me."

Before Donald could respond to this conversation-turned-heated-discussion, another voice interrupted them and Donald was shocked in the process.

"Trust me… It's funny you mention that, because that's exactly what I'm doing right now, although I have no idea why. Good evening Mr. Mulder, and I presume that you must be Mr. Green," Scully said and smiled to Mulder.

In a moment, without thinking, Mulder got up from his seat and gave Scully a hug. He felt she was unsure, also by this action of heartfelt relieve, but after a few seconds she relaxed somewhat.

Scully pulled herself out of his hug. "This doesn't mean that I believe what you're saying, I might still sell it as a script for anyone who dares and who is willing to read it," she said with a sly smile. "But… If it's true, I want to see it with my own eyes."

Mulder bellowed a laugh. "That's my Scully, always trying to find some empirical evidence!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

For a moment, it seemed that he hadn't left his own world, and his own Scully. During the whole flight to Grand Junction, Mulder and Scully discussed the big and finer points of the situation that Mulder and Donald Green were in, and to what degree Mulder's theory was true or not. He could tell that Scully was having as much pleasure in their discussion and conversation as he did.

However, he kept being reminded that, indeed, this wasn't the real Scully, as she lost track of his rail of thought and some of the jokes he made, numerous times. Some of the things he said could only be understood by one that had experienced or seen them too, and this person hadn't these experiences, even though she was like an exact copy. Experiences in life do mould a man or woman to its fitting, and no better example of this could Mulder witness than this.

They arrived at the mountain not long after their plane touched down. This Scully was as amazed by the view as the real Scully was, and she told Mulder so.

"Is this the place you meant, the first day we met in the park? If so, I see what you mean when you say the park reminded you of this place. It's stunning."

"Yes, I meant this place," Mulder said, "Scully said almost, I mean my Scully, the very same thing when she saw it here."

"Then preferences are shared as well between these parallel worlds" Scully extrapolated, then quickly added, "_If_ they even exist."

Mulder smirked. "Well, the both of you are attracted to me, right?"

Scully blushed and Mulder knew he had succeeded. He had broken the ice that was still there between them, though barely visible, but still there. Now, they could figure out how to get Donald and himself back to their own world, without being cautious of what they say, and without pretension.

Nothing had changed at the exact spot where Mulder and Donald had 'shifted'. Their first idea, brought up by Scully, as Mulder was already planning incredibly difficult and elaborate, without looking for the simple answers, which could also work as they had no clue, first. Although Mulder and Donald at first looked at her as if she was crazy to propose such an implausible scheme, Scully pressed on and convinced them to try it any way. It couldn't hurt, could it?

Donald grumpily consented and they both walked towards the exact same spot as their previous 'shift'. As of that moment, chaos ruled the otherwise so quiet and serene mountain.

Mulder felt the force that got him here in the first place pulling at him, just like before. His eyes met Scully's and he saw astonishment but belief in her eyes. She hadn't presumed her idea would actually work, but here they were, Mulder and Donald fading into nothingness, leaving her all alone. Mulder felt for her, so bad, as he could feel her anguish reflected in her whole stature.

Before the force could swallow him wholly, in an act of inspiration, he ran towards her and planted a soft, short kiss on her lips. She didn't resist.

"Go find Fox Mulder at the bureau in Washington. He may not trust you at first, he WILL not trust you at first, and think that you are with the NSA, or even an accomplice of the aliens he thinks are trying to take over the government, hell even the world, but just hang in there. It's worth it," he whispered in her ear before he darted back and disappeared from her view, into a world unknown to her.

She felt as if a part of her had just disappeared, but deep down she knew that he was never a part of her. He was the shadow of the man in this world, who in fact was a part of her, although she'd never met him. Fate will always find a way, she thought as she walked away, heading for Washington D.C., to start the beginning of the rest of her life.

* * *

><p>It was a cold but clear night. The Lone Gunmen and Scully were spending their last night on the mountain. A few hours earlier, at dusk, they discussed how to move on from this point and decided that if there were no new signs or happenings the following morning they would go home. Actually, Scully did all the deciding, with pain in her heart. She was glad that the Lone Gunmen were around and supporting her, but they were useless to her. All of their knowledge, and knowledge of quite a few top secrets as well, couldn't help her get him back, whatever they tried. Mulder was lost, and the only way he could return, if he wasn't already dead, was if he figured it out himself. In Scully's rational mind, it was useless staying here any longer than they'd already been. All she wanted to do was get back home, and grieve. Grieve for her lost friend and for her own stupidity and unnecessary shyness.<p>

Her mother had always told her, 'If you feel something for someone, don't let it pass you by without exploring that feeling. Maybe it's the love of your life, but you won't realize it because you decided to pass. If that happens, my dear, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.'

That's exactly how she felt right now. She felt betrayed by herself and was afraid to face her mother. She'd know how much he meant to her, she'd always known and every time her mother tried to push her towards him, and him towards her, she refused to play along. Scully was too afraid to face her feelings that had been locked up save for many years now.

Her rationalism had taken its toll, and she'd realized it far too late to reverse its destructive powers. An emotional block, a well-built fort, accompanied her rationalism. Mulder had successfully reduced the fort's walls to brittle bricks, slowly and bit by bit, but until now it hadn't been enough. Her fort was just too strong. His disappearance, however, had made an enormous hole in those very walls, as if a wrecking ball had slammed itself against it. Now, he had succeeded, but the price was too high, far too high.

This would be their last night on the mountain, and Scully was far too restless to go to sleep in her far too small tent. She put on her coat and left her tent to walk around, in attempt to get the restlessness out of her head. She knew that the restlessness was caused by guilt, an unfounded one, but nonetheless still heartfelt guilt.

Sometimes she thought that one of the reasons that she was put on this planet, and thus had met Mulder and became his partner in crime, on more levels than one, to keep him from harm. And now… Now she had failed him. He was so uncontrolled. He leaped into everything without looking and second guessing. Sometimes she envied this disposition of his, it was something she couldn't do, but she always knew that it would turn out ugly one time, and that there would be nothing that she could do.

So caught up in her own world, she tripped over a root of a large tree that she unconsciously knew stood there, but hadn't registered it. She cursed silently, when she looked around and realized that she had walked to the spot where Mulder had disappeared, but she hadn't known it until now. She couldn't give it too much thought, though, as she suddenly felt as if a soft breeze suddenly exploded in a strong gust of wind.

She looked up to the sky, but it was as calm as it was before. Then, a quick bright blinding flash dominated the mountaintop. It was gone as fast as it had come, and while it faded, it seemed to turn the outward moving gust of wind in some kind of aerial implosion. The noise that had accompanied the wind and light also left the mountaintop and reinstated it into its original peace and quiet.

There was, however, something else that had accompanied these strange facts, and Scully was looking at it with disbelief since the flash had gone. It was a man, dark haired, with the same height and build as Mulder. This WAS Mulder, but Scully doubted if he was really there, and not just a figment of her imagination, as she wanted to see him so badly.

Next to him, she suddenly saw a man, and she knew she had seen him before. His photo was right there in his FBI missing person's file. It was Donald Green. And this was the final drop for Scully. It wasn't her imagination, Mulder was right there. The last person that she wanted to see right now was Donald Green, because if he didn't went missing, this all wouldn't have happened.

She wanted to rush towards Mulder, but he already had closed the distant between them and pulled her in his arms. Scully closed her arms around him, so strongly, as if he would go away again the minute she would let him go again. He held her as strong as she, and that comforted her enough to let out all the emotions that she had boiled up inside the last days. She sobbed quietly against his chest and Mulder planted a kiss on her hair, but continued to hold her, as long as she needed his arms around her.

The Lone Gunmen appeared at the scene, woken up by the flash of light. They saw Mulder standing with his back towards them. Langley and Frohike started to run towards him, but Byers held them back. They looked at his with confusion, but Byers only had to point to the two small arms that were wrapped around Mulder, barely noticeable, but sharply seen by Byers, for them to understand that Scully was there and that they needed a moment.

The three of them, in the meanwhile, escorted Donald to their camp and gave him something to eat. They wanted to know everything that had happened, of course, and started firing questions towards him. It was almost like an interrogation, but Donald Green didn't seem to mind. He seemed glad to have some listeners on his hands after all he had been through.

It took Scully a full ten minutes before she could dry her eyes and dared to look into his eyes for the first time since his disappearance. His eyes were just as hazel brown as they were before, she noticed, and those soft puppy-eyes now had complete power over her. They could melt her core that had been in cryostasis for a long, long time.

Mulder wanted to say so many things, but now, as he was looking at her face, no words could come to him that could successfully carry the load of his message. Instead, he went down for a kiss, their very first kiss, and hoped for the best. Scully didn't struggle in the least bit and welcomed him as much as she could under the circumstances.

It was a short but deep and meaningful kiss, and as they broke apart, Scully tried to speak, but she couldn't seem to find her voice. It was stuck somewhere between emotions she didn't realize she had and dared to let out.

"Mulder, I…"

"Shh, Scully, it's alright. I'm back and I'll never leave you again. You don't want to know where I've been, and frankly, I don't even know if you'd believe me," he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled, a smile which filled her up with warmth and hope. "We don't have to talk right now. Come on, let's take you home."

Scully nodded and returned his smile. They walked towards the camp, to the Lone Gunmen and Donald Green who were waiting for them, as their fingers slowly intertwined, and so did their hearts.

"Mulder! We're so glad you're back! We've already heard a bit from Donald here. It's been quite a ride, huh?" Byers welcomed Mulder and shook his hand.

Frohike stormed toward him and embraced his as if he hadn't seen him in twenty years. Overtaken by this action, Mulder had to let Scully's hand go, and felt the warmth leave his hand directly. Langley joined them and slapped Mulder on the back.

"It's a good thing that you're back, Mulder. I don't think Scully could've resisted Frohike's advances much longer!" Langley joked, and they broke out in a laugh, while Scully tried to hide the blush that appeared on her face.

* * *

><p>Their first stop was Donald Green's house. Although Donald was a researcher and had the most fascinating time in the parallel world, he couldn't be more anxious to go home again. Mulder wasn't the only one who had gained valuable insights in his own feelings and the possible course of his future if he didn't act on it.<p>

His daughter took a wrong turn in her life, and that would lead her to the inevitable faster than it should. Donald thought his behaviour towards her had had a large impact on her. He even thought that he had sent her onto that course. Now, he was determined to change himself, and try to put her into the right direction again, to lead her away from the path of death and destruction.

When he walked through the door, his wife was overjoyed and clung to him, but as much as it hurt him to see it, although he knew that his trip to the parallel universe hadn't changed anything here, his daughter regarded him indifferently.

Donald subtracted himself from the grip of his wife and marched towards his daughter. With the same force as his wife had held him not a moment ago, he now held his daughter. Angie, her eyes wide awake in shock, didn't expect this and didn't know how to react.

For an outsider, this scene might have looked awkward, but Mulder knew better, and smiled. Good luck to you, Donald Green, he thought. He tapped Scully on her shoulder, and they quietly left the house and drove to the airport, continuing their journey back to Washington D.C.

Mulder and Scully had said their goodbyes to the Lone Gunmen at the D.C. airport, and now they arrived at Scully's apartment. Mulder dropped their stuff in the hall and walked on through to the sitting room to collapse onto the couch. Scully made them some coffee and joined him on the couch.

"Mulder, what happened to Donald and you wherever you were? In fact, where have you two been?"

"Like I said on the mountain, I don't know if you'll believe me, but you just have to trust me on this one. I've… We've been in a parallel universe."

"A parallel universe? You mean…"

"…A world exactly like our own, the same people, the same time, but another place, yes. It's amazing and unbelievable. I 'arrived' there at the same location as I disappeared here, but I've been around. To search for our way out, I travelled to D.C. and…" Mulder said, while his brain already working overtime.

"Wait a second. _The same people?_ In that universe the population is the same?"

"Well, mostly it is, yes. Not exactly the same though, as the events that occur _here_ doesn't necessarily occur _there_ as well. Donald's daughter is a good example, for instance. Donald and his wife live at the same house as here, but with one less inhabitant. Angie died on her fifteenth birthday because of an alcohol overdose. She wasn't allowed to have a party at home, so she went to some of her 'friends', who had more than enough booze to go around.

Now you see what truly happened when Donald was reunited with his real family again. "

Scully nodded. An insight of what he had just said filled her mind and directed her to ask the next logical question, although she was almost too apprehensive to ask. "You saw me there, in D.C., didn't you?"

Mulder didn't respond and sat there as if that question hadn't even been asked, his eyes casted away. Scully, knowing that she was onto something didn't let go. "Mulder, I know you saw me there. What happened to me?"

Mulder sighed. "Maybe the better question would be what didn't happen to you."

"What didn't happen? What do you mean?"

"You never joined the FBI. You declined the FBI recruiters offer during medical school, which you finished, and became a psychiatrist instead, and you had never heard of the X-files before…"

"And never heard of you…" Scully said. Seeing the anguish in his eyes, she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, just like on the mountain. "That's not going to happen here, Mulder. I've already joined the FBI, I've heard of the X-files. In fact, I've worked there for years now, and thus I have met you. You know this, and nothing's going to change that. This experience has had its influences on us both. You were cast away from everyone and everything you hold dear, while I lost the person who is nearest to my heart, but I didn't realize it until this happened."

"I guess we should thank God that this happened."

Scully let out a laugh. "Are we getting religious, Mulder? I thought you believed in E.T.'s!"

"I'd do anything for you, Scully." Mulder said. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. He carried her to the bedroom, while Scully cried out with laughter and happiness that had escaped her, her whole life, but now she had it in the palm of her hand, and she would never let it go again.

* * *

><p>Fin.<p> 


End file.
